MANILA, Philippines—The lunch invitation from PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios was for 11 a.m. Monday at the PBA office in Libis, Quezon City.
Media bureau head Willie Marcial didn’t mention if there was going to be an announcement, but all the scribes invited presumed there would be—possibly the commissioner’s choice for RP team coach, everyone speculated.
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On the board room table, the bowls of yang chow fried rice were almost wiped clean and the sweet-sour lapu-lapu totally scraped of flesh, but still there was no mention of a head coach, only small talk.
Finally, somebody asked the commissioner: “Are you going to announce the name of the PBA head coach who will be tasked to form the national team?”
Suddenly, everybody’s attention was diverted from the sumptuous Chinese lunch to the commissioner.
He said that was exactly his predicament. He could not make an announcement on the league’s choice of a national coach until the legal conflict between the two factions of the BAP-SBP is resolved.
Sonny said he had consulted with the PBA lawyers and he was advised to defer making the announcement.
As of Tuesday, he said he still had nobody in mind, and wondered if all the 10 PBA coaches would be willing to accept the assignment if chosen.
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As I was discussing the previous day’s proceedings with a fellow scribe Tuesday, we wondered if the commissioner’s objective in calling a small press conference was actually to announce that there would be no announcement.
“Maybe he just wanted to chat and be apprised of the latest happenings around the PBA because he had been out of the country for two weeks,” I offered.
But my young colleague had a different observation. He said Sonny may have been trying to feel the pulse of the press on his choice of RP coach.
“The way Sonny talked Tuesday, it seems he has narrowed down his choice to three coaches. Maybe he wants to know if we agree with him. Remember, he said that he preferred an experienced coach, one who has already coached internationally. He also asked us if he needed to talk to the coach first before announcing his choice, because he might reject the offer,” the scribe reminded me.
By the process of elimination, he listed down three names. All three are active in the PBA. They have coached either in the Asian Games or the FIBA-Asia men’s championship.
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The correction was well taken.
PBA Legends Foundation USA chair Abe King called the other day from Seattle to clarify that the parole board hearing on Rudy Distrito’s case was scheduled on Oct. 23, and not Sept 23, as relayed by colleague Ronnie Nathanielsz.
Abe said Rudy’s family and friends are hoping his case would be settled as soon as possible, even if the board decides to deport him after release.
“Rudy has to get out of jail as soon as possible. Delikado sa loob dahil may kamag-anak yung napatay niyang Mexicano,” Abe said.
“Last week nga nagkagulo kami dito nang may magpakalat ng text na nagbigti si Rudy sa cell niya. Kumalat ang text sa buong Amerika.”
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Abe said his fear is not unfounded.
“Not very long ago, something like this also happened. Word got around that an inmate committed suicide by hanging himself inside his cell. It was a false alarm. Some days later, however, he was really found hanging from the roof of his cell.
“But he didn’t kill himself. He was killed by a fellow inmate or inmates,” Abe related.
The worst possible scenario for Rudy, according to Abe, is that he would be detained up to March 2010, and then be deported back to the Philippines.
Abe and officials of the foundation are flying to Manila next month to join Philippine-based legends in a medical mission scheduled Oct. 25 in Antipolo City in Rizal province, and Oct. 26 in Cuyapo town in Nueva Ecija province.
